The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) reported on Tuesday that 13.9 million residents took domestic trips in the second quarter of 2025 (April–June), marking a 13.9% decrease compared to the same period last year.

The number of domestic trips with at least one overnight stay totaled 17.1 million, with visitors spending 99.2 million overnights, averaging 5.8 nights per trip.

Domestic tourism expenditure reached 116.9 billion TL (Turkish Lira), a 13.4% increase from the same quarter in 2024. Of this, 85.2% (99.7 billion TL) was individual spending, while 14.8% (17.3 billion TL) went to package tours. The average expenditure per trip was 6,848 TL.The highest spending categories were eating and drinking (30.1%), transportation (25.8%), and accommodation (15.7%). Compared to the previous year, eating and drinking costs rose by 3.1%, transportation by 7.1%, and accommodation by a significant 26.2%.

The primary reason for domestic travel was visiting relatives, accounting for 60.3% of trips. Travel, leisure, and vacation followed at 32.2%, with health-related trips at 3%.

Most domestic visitors (68.7 million overnights) stayed at the homes of friends or relatives. Staying at one’s own house was the second most common option (13.9 million overnights), while hotels ranked third with 9.7 million overnights.

The data highlights a decline in domestic travel volume but a notable rise in spending, reflecting higher costs and changing travel patterns among Turkish residents in 2025. (ILKHA)